Gear-case.



" B. L. WATERS,

GEAR CASE.

APPLICATION TILED AUG; 4, 1908.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

BEVERLY L. WATERS, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

GE AIR-CASE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 1908.

Application filed August 4, 1908. Serial No. 447,003.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BEVERLY L. WATERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gear-Cases, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gear cases, particularly those for protecting the reduction gearing in street railway and similar motors.

It will be understood by those familiar with this art that gear cases of this kind are subject to an extraordinary amount of jar and vibration which has a tendency to crystallize the metal of which the cases are made and render it liable to crack, especially at or near the points of support.

The object of the present invention is to guard against such cracking by reinforcing the case in a particular manner.

With this general object in view I have provided a special supporting and reinforcing lug and extended one side of the case to meet it as clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are perspective views of the case taken from different positions, and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation showing the lug and portions of the case adjacent thereto.

The case selected to illustrate the invention is made in two halves, the upper half A being supported, in part at least, by the lower half B. The upper half has two parallel sides 5, 5 and the lower half two parallel sides 6, 6. The sides of the upper half are riveted or otherwise secured to a properly curved metallic sheet 7 and similarly the sides of the lower half are fastened to a properly curved metallic sheet 8. These parts 7 and 8 form the top and bottom of the case and will vary somewhat in outline to conform to the size and proportion of the gearing which is to be incased. When viewed from the side the case is approximately pear shaped in outline, the larger end of the case being adapted to fit over the larger of the two reduction gears and the top and bottom 7 and 8 converging toward the portion which incloses the smaller gear. Suitable side lugs 9 and 10 are provided for securing the case to the running gear of the car but do not constitute any essential feature of the invention.

The feature of novelty resides more particularly in the lug which supports the smaller end of the case, and the manner in which the side of the case is constructed to cooperate with it, as will now be described. The lug referred to is applied in the present instance to the lower half B of the case and has three different portions 11, 12, 13, all integral with each other. The portion 11 fits against and is riveted or otherwise rigidly fastened to the bottom 8 at the smaller end of the case and connects with the part 12 which lies practically horizontal when the case is in position and projects out beyond the outline of the case to contact the flange 14 which is bolted or otherwise rigidly secured to the opposite half of the case.

The projecting flanges 12 and 14 on the two halves of the case afiord means whereby the halves may be bolted together. The part 13 of the lug lies in a vertical plane and consequently is at right angles to the plane of the part 11 and to the plane of the part 12. Part 13 extends away from the case, and in this preferred design has an aperture 15 through which a bolt may be passed to some part of the motor frame. The part 13 does not stand alone but is approximately coextensive with an extension 16 formed by extending one of the sides 6 out beyond the outline of the case.

As clearly shown in the drawings, these two parts 13 and 16 form an excellent point of attachment for a fastening device such as the lug 17 having an aperture 18 registering with the aperture 15 in lug part 13. By passing rivets or similar fastening devices 19 through the three different thicknesses of metal, to wit, lug part 13, extension 16, and lug 17 a case of unusual strength and rigidity results, for it will be observed that the extension 16 is integral with the side 6, and the part 13 of the lug is integral with the parts 11 and 12 which attach to different parts of the case. The weight and burden of the small end of the case is thus distributed in a remarkably advantageous manner and it will be necessary for two different parts of the case to crack and break before this particular portion of the case can become loosened. The contacting area of the parts 13 and 16 may be increased or decreased as the particular conditions may require but in any event a strong bracing action will result, together with thorough distribution of the stresses and strains.

Obviously the lug 17 may or may not be present, but it affords a convenient and efficient adjunct in mounting the case upon the supporting structure. The aperture 15 tening bolt may then penetrate both the lug part 13 and the extension 16. Other minor changes in design may readily suggest themselves which will not materially affect the essential features of the invention as outlined in the following claims.

Although I have described the extension 16 and the lug 11, 12, 13 as being upon the lower half of the case, this is immaterial for" the principle of operation would still be the same if the case were turned up side down, in which circumstance the bottom would become the top but the case would in all other res ects operate in the same manner and for t e same purpose.

I claim as my invention:

1. A gear case having a top, bottom and sides, one of the sides having an extension projecting beyond the outline of the case, in combination with a three part lug whose three parts are integral with each other, one part of the lug being secured to the bottom of the case, another part lying in a horizontal plane and extending beyond the outline of the case and the third part lying in a vertical plane and extending beyond the outline of the case, said third part lying adjacent to the aforesaid extension formed of one of the sides of the case.

2. A gear case formed in two halves parting along a central horizontal plane, said case having parallel vertical sides, joined by top and bottom members to which they are secured, and one side of the case having an extension projecting beyond the outline of the case to afiord a point of attachment for a supporting member, a lug secured to the upper half of the case and extending in a horizontalplane at the line of parting, and a three part lug for the lower half of the case one part of the lug making contact and being secured to the bottom of the case, another part extending horizontally whereby it may be bolted to the aforesaid lug on the upper half of the case and a third part extending outward from the case and lying parallel to and making contact with the said side extension of the case, the three parts of said lug being formed of a single piece of metal.

3. A gear case having parallel sides and a top and'bottom, the latter converging toward one end of the case, said case being formed in two halves parting along a central horizontal plane, a lug on the upper half of the case at the smaller end thereof, projecting from the case in a plane substantially coincident with the plane of parting, and a three part lug secured to the lower half of the case, said three part lug lying substantially in three planes, one plane coincident with the line of parting of the case, whereby it may cooperate with the lug on the upper half of the case, another plane being located at the bottom of the case at the smaller end thereof, and the third extending vertically downward approximately coincident with one of the sides of the case, the three part lug being formed of a single piece of metal.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

BEVERLY L. WATERS. Witnesses:

HOWARD M. Cox, 0. J. CHRISTOFFEL. 

